Tax Cuts for Going Green
Ready to take advantage of the federal government? You have until December 31. That's when Washington puts cracks the hammer on consumer tax credits of up to $500 for energy-saving products such as high-efficiency furnaces, water heaters, windows and insulation.
If you are thinking about solar roof panels the good news is that credits of up to $2,000 will remain available for solar upgrades --including solar water heaters and photovoltaic roof panels --through December 31, 2008.
Even if you miss out, there are plenty of other tax breaks, rebates and discounts available to efficiency-minded homeowners through local governments, banks and utility companies. CNN writer Keith Pandolfi touched base on this topic last week in a
this old house section installment online.
It is worth looking into if you have time to get some last minute up-grades in.
Labels: News, Resourcful
Surf Wax
Surfing is a great way to get exercise and literally immerse yourself in what nature has to offer. On an average in any coastal town, hoards of surfers ride the waves at beach breaks, point breaks, and sand bars, along with a large assortment of other types of spots.
Although the sport is generally low-impact and popular amongst young, environmentally conscious people, you can’t help but wonder how much surf wax pollutes the ocean on a daily basis. Several companies offer alternative products to the best-selling
Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax, which contains paraffin and added unnatural scent.
This is not only bad for the ocean but for skin on your chest that is constantly rubbing across the wax on the top of your board during any given warm water session.
There are a few Companies on the market now dedicated to creating environmentally friendly wax from a beeswax base include
Muffin Wax,
Northern Light Surfboard Wax (which guarantees to be the “stickiest wax on the planet!”) and
Phil’s Organic Surf Wax. I haven't got to try any of these companies out yet, but i look forward to the opportunity. If you are by the water i recommend that you Give them a try and let me know what you think!
Labels: beaches, News, Resourcful, surfing
Russia Loves Iran
There was some interesting things said by President Bush the other day during a press briefing at the White House that might be worth bringing up. The President was asked about Vladimir Putin's visit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran and the threat posed by this emerging Russian-Iranian nuclear alliance....the President warned that World War III could break out if Iran gets nuclear weapons....
an exert from the official transcript: "I believe that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would be a dangerous threat to world peace. We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."....
Another way of avoiding World War III might of bean to avoid shifting power in this part of the world over to Ahmadinejad's control by bringing instability to the region. Should we be concerned? You bet we should.
This is probably old news to most of you, but the following are somethings you might want to know about these two leaders:
* Ahmadinejad is a devout Shia Muslim. He began telling colleagues when he was first elected in the summer of 2005 that the end of the world was just two or three years away. He said the way to hasten the coming of the Islamic Messiah known as the "Mahdi" or the "Twelfth Imam" or the "Hidden Imam" is to annihilate two countries -- Israel, which he says is the "little Satan," and the United States, which he says is the "Great Satan."
* In September 2005, Ahmadinejad concluded his address to the U.N. by praying that Allah would hasten the coming of the Mahdi.
* Ahmadinejad returned to Iran after that speech and told Shia clerics that as he had spoken at the U.N. he had been surrounded by a halo of light, and that for 27 or 28 minutes not a single person in the General Assembly hall had even blinked, so mesmerized were they -- he said -- but what Allah was saying through him.
* In October 2005, Ahmadinejad gave his famous speech vowing to wipe Israel off the map. In the same speech, he urged the Muslim world to envision a world without the United States, and said this is possible -- a world without America and Zionism -- "when our holy hatred strikes like a wave."
* In December 2005, Russia signed a $1 billion arms deal with Iran, selling high-speed missiles to the Ahmadinejad regime, on top of billions of dollars worth of other arms, submarines, and nuclear technology in recent years.
* In September 2006, Ahmadinejad returned to the U.N. and again concluded his address by praying for Allah to hasten the coming of the Mahdi. Throughout 2006 and 2007, he has continued to give regular speeches denouncing Israel and assuring Muslims that the Jewish State will soon "vanish."
* In August 2007, Ahmadinejad began shifting gears. He was no longer saying that the end of the world was two or three years away. Now he was saying the return of the Mahdi was "imminent."
* In September 2007, Ahmadinejad again spoke at the U.N., as well as at Columbia University in New York City. This time, rather than ending his speeches with a prayer, he began both speeches by asking Allah to hasten the coming of the Mahdi.
* For the past two years, Ahmadinejad has been feverishly trying to build, buy or steal nuclear weapons. He has specifically been building alliances with three nuclear powers, Russia, China and North Korea, in pursuit of his genocidal objectives.
* Despite the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, the military, political and economic relationship between Russia and Iran has intensified dramatically over the past two years. Putin doesn't seem bothered by the talk of genocide. Putin and Ahmadinejad have met regularly. Putin's visit this week to Iran was the first by a Russian leader since 1943.
* Putin didn't meet only with Ahmadinejad in Iran. He also held a summit with the leaders of several Central Asian/Caspian Sea nations and issued a threat to the U.S. not to intervene militarily to stop Iran's nuclear program.
* No one is entirely certain why Putin is building an alliance with such radical Islamic regimes. Russia is certainly making billions of dollars from their arms and nuclear deals. Putin clearly wants to rebuild the glory of Mother Russia. He is becoming a Czar, centralizing power to himself and now saying he will step down as president in 2008 but stay in power as prime minister.
* As an emerging Czar, Putin wants to expand Russia's borders and influence. But he can't go West, because NATO is moving East. Putin can't go East because he borders a nuclear China. He recently claimed sovereignty over the North Pole. But his real opportunity to build a global, anti-Western empire lies to the South. So Putin is feverishly working to build alliances with Islamic and Arab powers, including Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, and several Central Asian states, as well as Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world.
* Still, given Russia's experience in Chechnya, it doesn't really make sense that Russia would arm radical Islamic nations, or help them go nuclear.
Probably nothing... right? I hope so, but i feel that it is worth noting. A war with Iran, probably means a war with Russia. A war with Russia would suck.
Labels: News, Resourcful
Green Flight
Inhabitat had a great write up on Ec0- Air travel that is worth bringing attention to. Air travel is getting greener- at first the
EcoJet and
Dreamliner lower-emissions aircrafts came onto scene, and now with a ground-breaking development from
Green Flight International, biodiesel has succesfully been tested for jet usage. Developed by Biodiesel Solutions and tested on an L-29 military aircraft just last week, biofuel may just be the next sustainable frontier in the challenge to travel more eco-responsibly.
On October 5, The Biojet I, an Aero L-29 Delfin aircraft, took off from the Reno-Stead Airport and flew to an altitude of 17,000 feet. While the first tests were done with a mixture of Biodiesel and regular jet fuel, the last flight was done entirely on 100% renewable biodiesel fuel. According to the pilot, there was no reduction in performance compared to conventional jetfuel. Granted, the L-29 is a rather unique aircraft. Originally built during the 1960’s and better known as Czechoslovakia’s first locally designed and built jet aircraft, the plane is rated to fly on several types of fuel which makes it an excellent choice for testing biofuels. It will be interesting to see if this test can be translated to other plane models.
Are biodiesel fuels the future for airplane flights? “This test program between Green Flight International and Biodiesel Solutions was a unique and exciting opportunity to show what can be done in renewable fuels.” said Rudi Wiedemann, president of Biodiesel Solutions. “The very idea of using 100% biodiesel to fly a jet aircraft makes a compelling statement about the possibilities for the future of renewable energy and a healthier planet.”
Labels: News, Resourcful, Transportation
